Manufacture of casings



Feb. 8, 1944. A. J. FREEMAN 2,340,951

MANUFACTURE OF CASINGS Filed Aug. 22, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

BY Q5. QfM

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 8, 1944. J FREEMAN 2,340,951

MANUFACTURE OF GAS INGS Filed Aug. 22, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 a BY fmd.924M ATTORNEY.

Feb. 8, 1944. A. J. FREEMAN 2,340,951

MANUFACTURE OF CASINGS Filed Aug. 22, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 (f 77fINVENT OR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 8, 1944 MANUFACTURE OF CASINGS Alpheus J. Freeman,Chicago, Ill., assignor to Freeman, Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., acorpo-' ration of Illinois Application August 22, 1938, Serial No.226,113

6 Claims. (Cl. 112-63) This invention relates to the manufacture ofcasings from strips of paper or other suitable material and includes themethod of making the same and apparatus for performing the necessaryoperations. The casing referred to herein is formed from strip of paperby sewing the edges together to make tubing and preferably comprises twostrips, one of which forms an inner flap or seal for the longitudinalseam as will be more particularly described hereinafter. Such a casingis shown, described, and claimed in my co-pending application forCasings, Serial No. 222,428, filed August 1, 1938, and a far as I amaware has never been disclosed prior to my invention thereof.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved machine orapparatus for making tubular casings from paper or the like; to providemeans for folding one or more strips of paper and sewing the same alongthe edges; to provide means for folding two strips of paper togetherwith their edges in overlapping relation and sewing the same along suchedges to provide a tube or casing with an inner seal or welt; to providemeans for interiolding two strips of material and sewing the combinededges thereof to make a casing and to modify or change the shape of thecasing after being sewn, whereby it will be in proper form for use; andto provide such other improvements in the apparatus and parts thereof,and also the method and product as will appear more fully hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention,

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved apparatus for forming, sewing andwinding up the casing;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the mechanism for changing or modifyingthe shape of the sewed tube and cutting the same in sections;

Figure 4 is a side view of the parts shown in Figure 3;

Figures 5 to 11 are details of the folder which serves to fold the twostrips of paper and bring them into the desired relationship for sewing;

Figures 12 to 15 are details of the device for re-folding or changingthe cross section of the tube or casing from its form as it leaves thesewing machine to the final form for use:

Figure 16 is a cross section of the tube or casing after it leaves thesewing machine;

Figure 17 is a cross section showing the change after it has passedthrough the re-forming device shown in Figures 12 to 15;

Figure 18 is a cross section of the casing ready for use, as forinstance after having been soaked preparatory to being placed on thestufier horn; and

Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the casing as it would apear onthe horn or after having been stuffed.

The drawings are more or less diagrammatical as some of the parts ormechanisms are of standard or well known construction and other partssuch as the strips or casing are shown enlarged as the paper ordinarilyused will be parchment paper, preferably treated with a softening agentsuch as glycerine, or the like, which paper is usually thin.

As shown in these drawings 20 indicates a table or support on which ismounted any suitable sewing machine as indicated at 2| havin a needle 22and presser foot 23. Two spindles 24 and 25 are mounted on the table andcarry rolls 26 and 21 of paper or other suitable material for formingthe casings. The strip 28 which is wound in the roll 26 is of sufiicientwidth to form the casing proper, and the strip 29 which is formed intothe roll 21 is substantially narrower and adapted to form the inner sealor flap. These two strips are pushed or fed through a folder designatedgenerally by the numeral 30 and then under the needle 22 and engage withrollers 31 and 32 which are driven in any suitable manner and whichserve to pull the strips from their supply rolls and through the sewingmachine as the casing or tubing is being formed. After the casing iformed it may be disposed of in any suitable manner, as by being woundon a reel 33 which may be driven in any suitable manner, preferably bymeans of a slight or friction drive in order to accommodate thevariation in the size of the roll formed thereon.

The folder 30 will be best understood when taken in connection with thesection of the easing after being sewn, as shown in Figure 16.

The strip 28 passes into a throat 34 at the entrance or inlet end of thefeeder, the walls 35 and 36 of the throat being surved as shown inFigure 8. The walls are gradually bent or grooved longitudinally of thefolder until the cross section changes from that shown in Figure 8 tothat shown in Figure 9 at approximately the center of the folder.Beginning at about this point a longitudinal slot 31 is provided in thewall 36 to permit pushing or feeding the strip through the throat whenthe apparatus is to be started. The cross section of the throat orpassageway gradually changes from the form shown in Figure 9 to thatshown in Figure 10 and the cross section at the outlet as shown inFigure 11. This folder is of such conformation that the strip 28 isfolded so that the cros section is changed from the flat strip to thatshown in Figure 16. As shown in this figure the strip 28 has its edges38 folded back upon themselves, thus making four thicknesses along thecorresponding edge of the casing. At the same time the opposite side isfolded inwardly to form two adjacent layers 39 which are folded with alongitudinal fold 40.

The folder 30 is of a duplex character and has another throat 4| forreceiving the strip 29 which is fed into inter-folded relation with thestrip 28 as shown in Figure 16. The throat or inlet 4| is formed by aninner wall 42 and an outer wall 43 and is of approximately the crosssection shown in Figure 9 at the point indicated by the line 99 onFigure 7. The outer wall 43 is also preferably provided with a slot 44for convenience in sliding the strip through the folder. Thi portion ofthe folder also tapers longitudinally toward the outlet as indicated inthe cross sections shown in the drawings. The arrangement of thesethroats or feeding members is such that when the two strips pass out atthe outlet, the edges 45 of the strip 29 will be interposed between thefolded back edges 38 of the strip 28 preparatory to receiving the sewingor stitching 46 as shown in Figure 16. At the same time the oppositewall of the strip 28 will be folded in a manner similar to the wall ofthe outer strip so that the fold or edge 40 will be interposed betweenthe adjacent folded portions of the inner strip as shown in this figure.

, With the strips inter-folded as shown and described, the casing passesthrough the sewing machine 2| which makes the stitching 46 and is drawnalong by the feed rollers 3| and 32 and from thence passes to thewinding reel 33 upon which it is made into rolls. The stitchin ispreferably of the double-lock seam type which passes through sixthicknesses of material and will hold the edges securely together alongthe joint thus formed. While such stitching or sewing i preferred, othermeans of fastening the plies together for forming a longitudinal jointmay be utilized.

While the fabricating of the tube is completed with the stitching it isdesirable to reshape or open the tubular members so that they will be inthe form shown in Figure 17 when the casing is to be used. For thispurpose the rolls of completed tubing are removed from the apparatusshown in Figure 1 and mounted on a shaft 41 or other suitable support sothat the completed tube or casing 48 is in position to be drawn throughanother folder or shaper 49 which is mounted on any suitable support asshown in Figures 3 and 4. The casing is drawn through this folder bymeans of rolls 50 and 5| which may be driven in any suitable manner. Ifdesired a shear or cutter 52 may be arranged adjacent to the rolls forcutting the casing into any desired lengths. Any suitable shearing orcutting apparatus may be used for this purpose but preferably one whichwill automatically cut the easing into such lengths.

The folder or shaper 49 as shown in Figures 12 to has a T-shaped inletor throat 53 as shown in Figure 13. When the completed tubing 48 is tobe drawn through the shaper the interfolded tubular portions are spreadout so that they flt in the horizontal slot 54 and the rib or projectingportion 55 of the casing is positioned in the vertical or transverseportion 56 of the throat and the casing will be held in this shape as itpasses into the folder 49. However one of the top walls 51 extends overthe longitudinal slot 58 and overlaps the other wall 59 so that the ribor projection 55 will engage with the curved edge 60 and be folded downagainst the top surface of the tubular portion as shown in Figure 17.The rollers 50 and 5| then press all of the parts together so that theresulting completed casing is of the cross section shown in Figure 17.After it has been pressed into this form the casing may be cut into anydesired length by means of the knife 52 and is then ready for use. Frommy experiments in connection with the manufacture of tubes from paper Ihave found that it is an exceedingly difficult matter to make a sewedtubing which will be sufficiently straight and of uniform cross sectionand with a sufliciently tight seam for commercial purposes. Forinstance, if a strip of paper is folded longitudinally to bring theedges together and the edges then sewn, the effect of the stitching issuch that the resulting tube would. be irregular and crooked and of nosubstantial commercial use. On account of my unique method whichincludes the step of inserting a reverse fold of the outer tube in acorrespondine reverse fold of the inner tube as shown in Figure 16,there will be at the area of overlapping, eightv thicknesses of materialextending longitudinally along the center of the partially completedcasing and there are four thicknesses of materia at one side of theinterfolded portions and six thicknesses of material along the edges tobe sewn together. On account of the relatively thicker central portionthe pulling rollers 3| and 32, which are preferably faced with softrubber, will press tightly against the central portion of the casing andwill draw the folded members straight through the sewing machine wherebythe stitching will be straight and the rollers will press all of thefolds closely together and flatten out the partially completed casing sothat it may be wound uniformly on the reel 33.

It will also be noted that the special folding of the strip for makingthe main tube of the casing is of particular importance, the strip whenfolded being in the form of a transversely flattened W with downwardlyprojecting folded edges which terminate short of the reverse centerfold, thus providing four thicknesses of material on both sides of thefolded strip which permits it to be properly drawn through the rolls.

After the fabrication of the casing has been completed as shown inFigure 16, it then becomes necessary or desirable to unfold or open outthe outer tube and flatten the inner tube against the seam in order thatthe casing may be properly and conveniently used. For this reason thelast or unfolding step is necessary in order to fully complete thecasing or to present it in the most desirable manner for commercial use.

As far as I am aware there has been no known method of making longcontinuous tubes of paper or the like with sewn seams and this was firstaccomplished in accordance with my invention.

In the manufacture of these casings the strips used are furnished inrolls of from one thousand to twenty-five hundred feet in length and theentire roll will be passed through the folders and sewing machine at avery high rate of speed.

These casings maybe made of any desiredsize and may be used for anypurpose for which they mayv be adapted but are specially intended to beused for containing food products, and particularly sausage, meat cuts,cheese, or the like. These casings have also been used in largequantities for packaging ice cream.

When these casings are to be used for sausage, one end is closed bybeing tied, stapled or otherwise fastened together as shown at 6|, andthe casing is then soaked preparatory for slipping onto the stufferhorn. The folded inner portion of the strip 29 assumes a generallytubular form which is flattened againstthe horn so that it provides aninner longitudinal flap, seal or welt 62 which lies against the innersurface of the tubular outer casing member 63 as shown in Figure 19.This not only provides a closure or seal for the seam but assists inslippin the casing onto the horn and facilitates its being drawn offfrom the horn as it is stuffed. I have found that without this innerflap it is very diflicult, if not impractical, to apply a tubular papercasing to such a stufler horn. This inner tubular flap evidently permitsair to escape and also provides an irregular surface for engagement withthe horn. These casings may be printed in any desired legion, as forinstance a trade-mark or name of the manufacture, or the like, asindicated at 64, such printing being preferably done prior to formingthe strip into the casing.

After the casing has been filled with sausage meat it may be linked andprocessed in the usual manner but is preferably smoked in long lengthsand then cut into short sections for use or sale. The rib or projection55 provides means whereby the casing may be readily torn off or removedfrom the filling by holding the sausage in one hand and pulling on therib which causes the paper to tear along the sides, usually at the edgesof the flap 62. This also permits the ready manufacture of skinless"wieners. The provision of any suitable longitudinal rib of this form isa very important feature of the invention for facilitating the removalof the casing, which removal is more or less impractical or diflicultwith other forms of casings.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention it is apparentthat changes may be made in the arrangement of the parts, in the methodand in the resulting product, without departing from the scope of theinvention as particularly set forth in the following claims, in which Iclaim:

1. The method of forming a casing which consists in arranging two websof suitable material of diiferent widths, bringing the webs together andfolding the same longitudinally with the narrower web within the widerweb, and simultaneously folding back the edges of the outer web andforming creases in the centers of both webs with a fold of the outer webinterposed between two folds of the inner web, then stitching all of theedges together and leaving a projecting rib, then pressing the same bymeans of puller rolls, and finally opening the tubular portions androlling out the creases previously formed therein whereby the completedcasing will be in the form of a tube with a longitudinal tubular weltalong the joint.

2. The herein described method of forming a tube from two strips ofsuitable material of dif ferent widths which consists in forming acrease along the center of the narrower strip and bringing the edges ofthe strip together, and simultaneously forming a crease along the centerof the wider strip and inserting the fold in the crease in the narrowerstrip and folding back the edges of the outer strip and bring them intoalignment with the edges of the inner strip, then fastening the edgestogether by means of stitching through the six thicknesses of materialalong the edges, then flattening the parts together, and finallyopening. out the folded portions to form two substantially flattenedtubes as shown herein.

3. The method of making a tubular casing from two strips of paper or thelike, one of which is narrower than the other, which includes thecontinuous folding of the narrower strip longitudinally with are-entrant fold along one side and the edges brought together, andsimultaneously folding the wider strip with a continuous longitudinalfold with a re-entrant portion tucked into the re-entrant fold of thefirst-named strip and with the edges reversely folded and broughtagainst-the edges of the first-named strip and fastening all of theedges together by stitching through the edges of the narrower strip andthe folded edges of the wider strip.

4. A folder for folding substantially endless strips for making acasing, comprising guide plates forming a tubular passageway throughwhich a strip to be folded may be drawn, the inlet throat of saidpassageway being substantially straight longitudinally and slightlycurved transversely, said plates being tapered longitudinally and thetubular passageway shape transversely to deform said passageway intosubstantially W-shape in cross section and then further deformedtransversely, the walls being gradually closer together laterally up tothe outlet which is of tapered U-cross section with three longitudinalslots in one side thereof, the center slot being for the center fold ofthe strip to be folded and the side slots being for the edge folds ofthe strip whereby a strip as it passes through the folder will be foldedlongitudinally with a central inwardly projecting fold and the edgesfolded back as described.

5. The method of making a tubular casing of parchment paper or the like,which consists in providing a long strip of paper, then drawing thestrip through a folder having passageways for engagement with the stripto make a reentrant fold along the center of the strip whereby fourthicknesses will be present in such portion and folding back the edgesof the strip against the respective outer surfaces so that theyterminate short of the reentrant fold and provide four thicknesses ofmaterial along the edges, drawfiig the strip through the folder andsimultaneously drawing the same through a sewing machine to sew thestrip through the four thicknesses adjacent to the edge and leaving aprojecting rib, said strip being drawn through the folder and the sewingmachine by means of rollers, the reentrant fold providing fourthicknesses on both edges of the casing as it is drawn through thesewing machine by the rollers whereby the casing will be fed evenlythrough said machine.

6. An apparatus for making long casings of the kind described from verylong strips of paper, comprising supports for two supply rolls of stripsof substantially diiferent widths for forming the casing, a folderthrough which the strips having one passageway for receiving the casing10 strip and gradually folding the edges back against the outer surfaceand also forming a central inwardly extending fold, said folder having asecond passageway for a sealing strip,

adapted to fold the central portion of the strip over said inwardlyextending fold and to bring the edges of the strip between the foldedback edges of the casing.

ALPHEUS J. FREEMAN.

